Tzedek Blog

September 2023

Welcoming the Newton Family Navigation Center
If all goes as planned, Temple Shalom will soon have a new neighbor, the Newton Family Navigation Center. FamilyAid, the leading provider of solutions to family homelessness, has been contracted by the Commonwealth to open a new Navigation Center in the now-closed Chetwynde Nursing Home on Washington Street, a few blocks from the Temple. Opening is scheduled for spring of 2024.

Like the FamilyAid Center in Brookline near the Coolidge Corner Theater, this Center will provide 42 temporary housing units that are typically occupied by one parent and one to two children, as well as common areas, classrooms, dining areas and areas for a variety of supportive services. The Center is staffed 24/7. Families typically include very young children (mostly babies), and typically stay for a year or two until they move into permanent housing. During their stay, the parents are working and/or going to school. The Newton Center is likely to include both new arrivals to Massachusetts and families who have been here for a while. You can read more about the Center at Newton - FamilyAid (familyaidboston.org) and Final Newton Family Navigation Center and Temporary Housing Background Fact Sheet. The Center is not a homeless shelter; it is more like a dormitory helping these young families as they transition to permanent housing. It’s a critical part of our Commonwealth’s efforts to respond to the housing crisis, and it fits well with the RAC-MA focus this year on Affordable Housing. As Temple members, we look forward to supporting the official opening of the Center and getting to know our new neighbors; there will be many opportunities to volunteer and help out. Right now the most important thing we can do is advocacy. There’s a community meeting Thursday, Sept. 14 at 6:00 p.m, details are below:
Join the zoom meeting on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 6:00 p.m. Please click the link to join the webinar  here. Passcode: 749491.
Or One tap mobile :
   +16465588656,,81092049758# US (New York)
   +16469313860,,81092049758# US
Or Telephone:
   Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
   +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
Webinar ID: 810 9204 9758
   International numbers available: https://newtonma-gov.zoom.us/u/kcb0d48Qaq

FREEDGE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Temple Shalom participates, along with many other community organizations, in stocking and managing the Newton Freedge. The Freedge is an arm of the Newton Food Pantry and provides perishable food for those in need. Every other Tuesday our volunteers pick up food donations, shop for perishable goods and help to maintain the cleanliness of the Freedge which is located at 420 Watertown Street, Newton at Central Drapery and Dry Cleaning.

As we all know, food insecurity is a real and persistent problem in our communities. Having food other than in cans and boxes is a welcome enhancement. Eggs, milk, cheese and other items are welcomed by the people who take advantage of the Freedge offerings.

We are always in need of more volunteers to fill the time slots for which we are responsible. As you build your fall calendars, please consider whether you can assist by staffing a two hour slot in the upcoming weeks. Below you will find a link to the Sign Up Genius which includes descriptions of the tasks involved and the time slots that are our responsibility. 

Many thanks for your willingness to contribute your time for this worthy endeavor.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call or email me.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0a4ba8a622a7f94-newton1#/

Ethel Furst
Freedge Team Captain
617-840-0727
ethelrfurst@gmail.com

Furniture Needed

​​​​​​​Our TSARP community of Afghan friends in Hancock Village has continued to evolve! Some of our friends have left the state, others are moving in and around Hancock Village. If you have a couch or some smaller chairs and tables you are looking to donate, there may be a home for it! Please send a picture to econnolly@srsmedical.com

Community Events

Rotary & WSYMCA: Diaper & Baby Wipes Drive, until Oct. 1
Rotary Club of Newton and West Suburban YMCA are hosting a community  diaper and baby wipes drive for the Newton Food Pantry. It will take place from August 14 to October 1 at both branches of the West Suburban YMCA (276 Church Street and 135 Wells Avenue).

Don't forget to swing by our Helpsy clothing and textile drive at the SLC on Saturday, September 16th from 9am-12pm put on by the Scandinavian Living Center & Rotary Club of Newton. We are collecting shoes, clothes, accessories (hats, scarves, bags, etc.), linens, towels, curtains, throw rugs and stuffed animals!

June 2023

Tzedek Team Celebration 6/21 – “Looking Back, Looking Forward”

On Wednesday evening, June 21 we will have a Tzedek Team Celebration at the Temple. The theme is “Looking Back, Looking Forward” – we will celebrate the activities of this year and do some looking forward to next year. Rabbi Laura will be back from her sabbatical, and we’ll look forward to getting together in a face-to-face event, sharing some desserts and conversation, and looking towards next year. Please plan to join us! If you have any thoughts about topics you want to make sure we cover, please contact econnolly@srsmedical.com. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Freedge Volunteer Thank You Shabbat June 9

It has now been more than two years since the Newton Freedge opened its doors, and Temple Shalom volunteers have been an important part of the Freedge team. Plan to come to Shabbat Services on Friday June 9 at 6:30 when we will talk about the Freedge, hear from past Freedge team captains, and recognize all who have volunteered on this important project to fight food insecurity in our own community.

Climate Action

On June 4, Green Newton welcomes you to tour Garland Street and talk with neighbors there about Home Energy Projects.

Talk to Newton Neighbors about Their Home Energy Projects at the Sustainable Street Tour on June 4 (greennewton.org)

The City of Newton website has some good links for local climate and sustainability efforts at  Climate and Sustainability | City of Newton, MA (newtonma.gov).

Support Newton's Gun Buyback - June 24, 2023

He who takes one life, it is as though he has destroyed the universe, and he who saves one life, it is as though he has saved the universe. - Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5 

June is Gun Violence Prevention Month. While Newton has relatively low rates of gun ownership and gun violence, the number of gun licenses in Newton has increased steadily in recent years reflecting national trends. One practical way we can help reduce the threat of gun violence in our community is through a gun buyback, which provides a safe way for residents to turn in unwanted guns. In the 2019 Newton buyback, 46 firearms and 2,500 rounds of ammunition were surrendered and destroyed in Newton, permanently removing them from circulation. The buyback will be led on June 24, 9:00am-12:00, by the Newton Police Department in partnership with the Middlesex Sheriff's Office and the Newton Gun Violence Prevention Collaborative.

Reproductive Justice Initiative  (RJI)

1) Shining a Light on Reproductive Justice: An Issue for Us All:  Warm thanks to all who joined us at this RJI May 12th kick-off. We were delighted by the at-capacity turn out. Krisitie Monast, Executive Director of Health Q Health Services and Claire Teylouni, Director of Government Affairs, Reproductive Equity Now, were exceptional speakers.  They offered an excellent snapshot of abortion services in MA as well as a comprehensive view of the national landscape. Their overall message: while overall it is extremely disturbing, we can feel grateful at this time to live in Massachusetts. The goal of the anti-choicers is to abolish abortion everywhere, so it is incumbent upon us to stay informed. 

We were grateful that Rabbi Berry incorporated prayers and messages about reproductive justice into the Friday night service that preceded the educational portion. 

​​​​​​​If you were unable to attend the event, here is a link for the educational program.  Passcode: 0zfuJbS^.  NOTE: On the link, the presentation begins around 3:05 and ends around 1:17, followed by 10 minutes or so of people talking and cleaning up.

Many members of the RJI task force played a key role in the success of the evening, but special shout outs to Susie Gudema and Marion Pollack, who arranged the delicious dinner and dining room set up, and Laura Scharf and Abby Fireman, who brought their sons to the event and worked earnestly to invite other teens, reflecting their commitment to educating young people about the issue.

2) NECHAMA COMFORT PACKAGES FOR POST-ABORTION CARE: The evening was the kick-off for our campaign to create 150 comfort packages to donate to Kristie Monast's Health Q Reproductive Clinic in Lawrence, MA. YOUR HELP IS NEEDED TO MAKE THIS EFFORT A SUCCESS! We are in particular need of $10 gift cards to either CVS or Target so that recipients can purchase over-the-counter pain relief.  Please bring gift cards to the Temple - during business hours, leave them in the office with Gray or Scott; after business hours, leave them in the locked collection box on the first floor near the reception desk OR contact Susan Goodman at susan.d.goodman@gmail.com to arrange a pick up. There are still other items needed on our Amazon registry.

The campaign extends through June 30. We will be assembling the packages at the Temple either at the end of the summer or early fall so that we can bring them to Health Q in mid-September. Contact Wendy Case at wbcase@aol.com if you would like to participate.

We would be remiss not to offer a shout out to Temple Shalom Sisterhood, which is purchasing several of the essential items needed for the comfort packages, and Temple Beth Elohim, one of our partners in the comfort packages campaign, for offering us guidance and resources.

3) ADVOCACY ALERTS: Joy Elbaum is sending out terrific legislative updates on bills that reflect our Temple's commitment to reproductive justice - the ability to choose whether to have children and the ability to raise them in safe, healthy environments. Thanks to JALSA - Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action - for initiating many of these alerts.  To be added to Joy's distribution list, email her at j.elbaum@verizon.net

4) JOIN OUR TASK FORCE! Our immediate goal is to complete the Nechama packages in the fall. Help us navigate our next directions! Email either Susan Goodman. or Wendy Case - we look forward to hearing from you!
Thanks - Wendy Case (wbcase@aol.com) and Susan Goodman
​​​​​​​(susan.d.goodman@gmail.com)

Upholding Our Community's Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Newton Upstanders is a new, action-oriented community group in Newton that formed to stand up in support of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in our schools and city. We came together in March to speak at a Public Hearing in support of Newton Public Schools' commitment to racial equity and again in early April to show support for students from Newton North High School’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance and their ToBeGlad Day programming. After these two events, we agreed that there was a need in Newton to stay connected, informed, and vigilant to ensure that local and national groups don't undermine our community's commitment to DEI. You can read more about us by visiting our websiteand reading our FAQs and news stories. We hope you will join our email list, sign our Values Statement, like and follow our Facebook page, and reach out at newtonupstanders@gmail.com if you would like to become more involved. 

JALSA Advocacy Alert

Through Temple Shalom’s membership in the Jewish Alliance for Law & Social Action (JALSA), we join with JALSA and its many allies in pursuit of social, economic, environmental, and racial justice.  Here is a current opportunity to make your voice heard towards those goals.
 
Contact Your Senator to Include Permanent School Meals for All in the Budget!

JALSA is proud to be a Feed Kids Coalition member, eager to solve childhood hunger across Massachusetts, beginning in our schools. Though childhood hunger persists in our state, 80,000 more kids are eating each day in Massachusetts because of School Meals for All in communities that otherwise would not have access. This program provides resources for families that are struggling to keep food on the table.

At the start of the pandemic, a federal waiver allowed all students to get a free school lunch. This led to 56,000 additional kids getting access to nutritious food, without the stigma previously associated with accepting free meals. When that waiver expired, ours was one of only five states to extend this policy. Now, we need to make it permanent. Once the program is permanent, all current and future Massachusetts students will consistently have access to free breakfast and lunch, without stigma and regardless of income.

The Massachusetts House of Representatives included permanent funding for School Meals for All in its budget. We now need the Senate to include this proposal in its upcoming Fiscal Year 2024 budget to get across the finish line.
 
Through our coalition partners at Project Bread, you can learn more about this program and contact your state senator directly to urge them to support permanent funding for School Meals for All in the FY24 budget at this link.

March 2023

Reproductive Justice Initiative

We are excited to launch the recently created Temple Shalom Reproductive Justice Initiative (RJI). It is a collaboration with the Temple Shalom Tzedek Team and the Sisterhood. Reproductive justice is the right to choose when and if to have a child as well as the right to raise a child in a safe and healthy environment.  The RJI has three component parts: advocacy, education and direct service. 

In partnership with JALSA (the Jewish Alliance of Law and Social Action), we will be alerting congregants to a variety of opportunities to speak up in support of reproductive justice. See Joy Elbaum’s accompanying piece about a current urgent opportunity.

JRI will have its kickoff educational program on Friday, May 12th, entitled Shining a Light on Reproductive Justice: An Issue for Us All.  We are welcoming two dynamic speakers, Clalire Teylouni, Reproductive Equity Now’s Director of Government Affairs and Kristie Monast , Executive Director of HealthQ Sexual & Reproductive Health in Lawrence.  They will speak on post-Roe issues both here in Massachusetts and nationally. The program is appropriate for teens as well as adults. It will be preceded by a dinner after Shabbat services.  More details will follow about sign-up for the dinner and program on the Temple website and the weekly TS Connect.

The direct service component of the RJI will benefit HealthQ patients. Under the direction of JCRC (Jewish Community Relations Council), we will join other Massachusetts synagogues and Jewish organizations -Temple Beth Elohim, Temple Isaiah, Hevrah of the Berkshires, Hadassah among others-to collect, assemble and deliver post-abortion care packages to support and comfort HeathQ’s patients.  Temple Shalom will be responsible for 150 care packages for September, October and November. We will share more details at the May 12th program as well as on the Temple website and the TS Connect.

If you are interested in more information and/or joining the RJI task force, please contact Wendy Case wbcase@aol.com or Susan Goodman susan.d.goodman@gmail.com. If you would like advocacy alerts, contact j.elbaum@verizon.net.

JALSA has launched an Abortion Justice letter-writing campaign, to urge Walgreens to reverse its decision not to carry mifepristone in jurisdictions where abortion is still legal, but where politicians are advancing anti-choice measures. To be clear, Walgreens is refusing to provide access to this medication in advance of any changes to the state laws. Since 54% of abortions in the United States are done through medication rather than surgically, using medications like mifepristone, refusing to carry these medications in certain jurisdictions is a clear violation of abortion rights.
 
JALSA has provided a letter template addressed to Walgreens that you can personalize and then mail, to make sure the company’s leadership knows the public strongly disagrees with their decision. While it doesn’t take much time to write the letter, it can really make a difference – and the more letters that are sent, the greater the impact we can have.

Here is a link to the sample letter. This link includes some additional sample paragraphs you could use to help personalize the letter. The letter should be mailed to:
Rosalind Brewer, CEO
Walgreens Corporate Offices
200 Wilmot Road, Deerfield, IL, 60015

Food Insecurity
Freedge Upate

Many thanks to Nate Powell who has been co-chairing the Temple Shalom Team that serves the Freedge every other Tuesday. Nate will be stepping down from this role on May 1st , He and Erin Borras are looking for his replacement. The responsibilities are easy to manage.

They Include:
 Responding to emails from team members- answering logistical question and
responding to feedback.
 Doing what you can to ensure coverage for the shifts.
 Sending out reminder emails about shifts using templates.
 Responding to emails from Ephraim (the Volunteer Coordinator) and passing
along information he provides to the team.
 Sending team member feedback to Ephraim.
 Virtually attending meetings with other captains and organizers of the Freedge (meetings are infrequent).
Generally, the time commitment is an hour or less per week. Please contact Nate or Erin if you you are interested in learning more about the position, they would be happy to talk with you. 
(natepowell7100@outlook.com or eborras@templeshalom.org)

CLIMATE ACTION:
Gas is the Past - No Future for Gas Petition Sign Here. Join Mothers Out Front as we combine forces with other climate justice organizations to get 10,000 signatures urging Governor Healey to Declare No Future for Gas!  The environmental justice organization Springfield Climate Justice Coalition (SCJC) initiated this petition drive in hopes of stopping a pipeline expansion in their city.  
If you have 3 minutes: 
Sign the petition -  No Future for Gas Petition   
If you have 10 minutes:
Forward the information below to three others (friends, family, neighbors in MA!)

I’m reaching out because we have a BIG opportunity to make Massachusetts a real climate leader, but we’re going to need the  help of everyone who’s concerned about climate change to make it happen. Here’s the deal: Right now, despite international scientists giving us a “final warning” to rapidly transition off fossil fuels, Massachusetts is STILL allowing the utility companies to expand the fossil gas system with new big pipelines and networks. We are in a climate emergency: we should be planning to get OFF fossil fuels, not expanding their use by running new infrastructure through towns like Springfield that are already overburdened by environmental and climate pollution because of environmental injustice. The good news is, it doesn’t have to be this way. Massachusetts has a leader who has called herself a “climate governor.” The Inflation Reduction Act, passed by President Biden, provides millions of dollars in rebates and grants to help people light, heat, and cool their homes and businesses more safely, comfortably, and efficiently. States across the northeast are making huge commitments to harness the best corridor for offshore wind in the world.

Massachusetts has the opportunity to become a true climate leader, but to do so, we need Governor Healey to declare a halt to new system expansion until we have a plan for a just transition to renewable energy. That’s where you come in! Mass Power Forward and the Springfield Climate Justice Coalition are collecting at least 10,000 signatures calling on the governor to make such a stand around Earth Day. If everyday people voice their concern, Governor Healey will become the climate hero our moment demands.

Will you add your name? Sign Here. If we work together, I know we can make Massachusetts the leader we want it to be and build a climate future we can all be proud of.

Spring Cleaning?
A recent article in the Boston Globe listed many worthy non-profit organizations that accept new and used donations from baby toys, to toiletries, to home goods to clothing etc. The article mentions organizations that also match individuals and families to volunteer opportunities in the area. It is a terrific resource. Check it out! ​​​​​​​

February 2023

REFUGEE SHABBAT

Temple Shalom will join the worldwide observance of Refugee Shabbat this Shabbat (Friday Feb 3). This will be one of our popular Shabbat B’Yachad services with activities and content for all ages starting with a Tot Service and Family Pizza Dinner, a musical Kabbalat Shabbat, and adult dinner to follow. We are excited that we will welcome some of our Afghan friends sponsored by TSARP (Temple Shalom Afghan Resettlement Project) to the Service and dinner. You’ll be able to meet our friends and hear about their experiences in a Q and A session after the dinner. Don’t forget to sign up through the Temple Website.

Religious Action Center-MA INITIAL MEETINGS

RAC-MA was formed in 2022 as the newest state chapter of the Reform Movement’s Religious Action Center (RAC). Now you’re invited to join with RAC-MA in starting to choose its first social justice campaign. Be part of this journey together, as RAC-MA prepares for its first collective social justice campaign. An invitation from Lee Winkelman, RAC-MA Associate Director of Organizing:

We invite you to a virtual meeting of congregational social justice leaders in Massachusetts. This meeting will focus on the role of congregational social justice leaders in RAC-MA and the process for choosing RAC-MA’s first collective social justice campaign. It will also feature a mini-training on how to move the members of your congregation into action for social justice.

The meeting will take place twice, once on February 6 at 7pm and once on February 7 at noon . Please register now for whichever meeting is most convenient for you, using the link in the previous sentence. Looking ahead, we will begin the issue campaign selection process with the first meeting of the RAC-MA research team on February 22, 7:00-8:30 pm. Members of congregations will have a chance to weigh in on the best issue campaigns we identify in late April or May, and we hope to launch the new campaign in June.

Repro Havdalah February 18 | 7:00 p.m.

Join with Jewish communal organizations across the state as we end Repro Shabbat together with a special Repro Havdalah. Repro Shabbat takes place annually when we read Parshat Mishpatim containing the verses often used as a source for Judaism’s approach to reproductive justice. In community, we will close out Repro Shabbat and celebrate our commitment to religious freedom and abortion access.
Register here:  

REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE
In this post-Roe period, we would like to engage Temple Shalom in two areas: advocating for MA legislation to ensure fair reproductive health care access and joining other congregations to create post-abortion care packages for local health clinics. Are you interested in working together with us?  Please contact Wendy Case at  wbcase@aol.com  or Susan Goodman at susan.d.goodman@gmail.com . We are eager to hear from you!

Climate Justice

Mothers Out Front is a national organization that works for climate justice. As Governor Healey took office in January, the group got thousands of signatures on a letter that asked the Commonwealth to be a leader in creating a livable climate for all children. A group of mostly mothers and children went to the State House at the end of January to present the letter, which also included tracings of little hands. They had planned to meet just with top environmental officials, but happily also met with the Governor herself! If you’d like to get involved in Mothers Out Front you can attend a monthly Welcome Call. Sign Up Here  

Green Newton
Green Newton is dedicated to creating an environment in better balance with the natural world by making significant, measurable improvements in the way we use resources. They have a wonderful newsletter that includes tips to incorporate the tools you need to take climate action now into your everyday life. Check it out at www.greennewton.org and consider signing up for their tips of the week.

Clothing Drive
As part of the  “Love Local: Supporting Our Restaurants & Our Community”  campaign this year the Charles River Dining Collaborative is organizing a clothing drive to give back while visiting your favorite local restaurants. Collections will benefit  Circle of Hope, a Needham-based nonprofit that provides homeless children, women, and men in Boston and Metro West with clothing and necessities.
Items needed:  NEW sweatshirts, sweatpants, t-shirts and items to help get through cold winter months. Drop off at participating restaurant locations throughout all 4 communities throughout the month of Feb.

And don’t forget: Come join the Temple Shalom Tuesday Freedge Team!!
If you are interested in helping out with shifts for the Freedge you can learn more here https://www.templeshalom.org/freedge.

December 2022

JF&CS (Jewish Family & Children Services):
Give a gift to a family in need this holiday season

After months of rising inflation, many parents will struggle to afford presents for their children as the holiday season approaches. The JF&CS Holiday Gift Card Drive brings joy to low-income families by empowering parents to pick out the gifts they know their children will love. With your support, JF&CS will provide gift cards for more than 500 children this year.  Please click here for more information on how to donate.
 
 
Village Bank/Rotary Club Toy Drive Through December 12:

Help Newton families and kids have a happy holiday season! The Village Bank and Newton Rotary Club, in partnership with the Newton Department of Health & Human Services, are holding their holiday gift drive through December 12. Make a tax-deductible cash donation to the Rotary Club of Newton or drop off a new, unwrapped toy or gift card at any Village Bank location in Newton.

Bulk Food Delivery with Newton Neighbors Helping Neighbors:

NN’s bulk food delivery program is looking for short- and long-term volunteers to join us in delivering fresh produce from local food rescue organizations to MetroWest and South Area food pantries. Help bridge that last link in the distribution chain and provide good food to so many who need it. Commitments range from once in a while to once every 4-6 weeks, or even more. Please reach out to us at newtonneighborshelping@gmail.com to volunteer or find out more.

Welcome Home Urgent Needs for Household Items:

Newton’s home goods pantry is seeking donations for new and gently used household items. To donate, go to welcomehomemass.org.

The Very Best Way to Regift: Newton Food Pantry Gift Shop:

The Newton Food Pantry provides a small assortment of new or gently used items from which the pantry customers can shop for free for a gift for a loved one. We welcome giftware for children and adults such as, but not limited to, candles, jewelry, art kits, stuffed animals, games, toys, cookbooks, or anything else you would gift a friend. We often receive many items for women and children. Please keep those items coming while also considering fun items for older teens and adults, including men.

Please do not wrap the gifts however feel free to donate extra gift, bags, wrap, ribbons etc. 

Please drop goodies at 20 Fairlee Terrace in Waban (Gray house on the cul-de-sac off Fairlee Road, off Woodward Street).. Please leave things in the bins by the garage now through the end of December. Any items remaining at the end of the holiday season will be donated to Cradles to Crayons, Welcome Home, or a local donation site.


Newton Community Freedge:

The Newton Community Freedge (free fridge) is always looking for volunteers to help keep the Freedge stocked for the community!  This winter, we have many open spots.  Please take a look at the sign up and register to help!

The Temple Shalom team is also looking for a co-captain to cover the months of December - March.  This is a communication role with a fantastic partner to share the responsabilities!  If you are interested, please reach out to Erin Borras at eborras@templeshalom.org.